Pieces : A Short Story Series
by pbmaxca
Summary: They're out of school and living their lives as adults...but Ron & Hermione still feel the same way about each other as they did in school. Story happens after Hogwarts and is slight AU.
1. Chapter 1: Splash

Prompt 1: Splash

Written By PBMAXCA

There was a clunk and a splash as her cell phone fell overboard. Hermione could only muster a laugh in reaction to the event. After six full hours on the lake rowing in what seemed to be big circles around and around the shoreline, she was starting to think that she was losing her mind. That feeling had crept into her head that morning when Ron had bounded into her room, jumped on the edge of her bed and yelled to her that she was running late and they needed to leave.

She'd found out a few minutes later on the way to the bathroom that the sun hadn't even risen yet. It has sparked a whole discussion on time zones since she'd flown in from London to where his brother was working in Romania. They had the run of the cabin which was great, but Ron didn▓t seem to understand that even in the short distance from home to there, a time zone change had occurred.

She heard a chuckle from behind her then a slightly sweaty palm paused on her bare shoulder. "Was that--?"

Zipping up the watertight bag again, knowing that she didn't want to lose anything else, she shoved it down in the canoe again, making sure to secure it to the frame of the boat so that they wouldn't lose it if they tipped over. "Yes," She kept her eyes on the distant shore, mentally unaware that she'd started to look for familiar faces as if the middle of nowhere Romania was going to be crawling with people she knew. "That was my cell phone."

His voice was strained as he spoke, "I told you that you shouldn▓t bring Muggle things with you."

"Yes sweetie," she said with a sarcastic tone, "I know you told me to leave it at the cabin, but that's the difference between you and I. You follow the rules." She waved her hand in his direction, turning in the canoe to fully face him. "I don't."

"Hermione."

"Ron."

"You totally follow the rules. I▓m normally the one that doesn▓t follow them."

Her eyes widened, "Don't try to bluff me Ron. You know I play a better game of wizard▓s chess than you do."

"I've been playing the best game of chess for years." Sarcasm again met his words.

"What convincing the world that you aren▓t really a red head?" she said with a smile.

Without warning tension settled between them. It took him forever before he finally opened his mouth, "Nope."

"What then?" she asked, "I've known you for years and--"

His mouth moved quickly this time. "I'm in love with you."

"Oh--" she said looking down towards the water watching the spot where her phone had disappeared. She wished she had it. She wanted to call someone to come and rescue her. "--That."

"Oh that?" he asked leaning towards her to wave a hand in front of her face and gain her attention. "I just came out and told you that I'm in love with you and that's all you can say?"

"What do you want me to say?" she looked up at him, tears in her eyes. She didn't have an issue with him being in love with her. She really didn't have an issue with anyone being in love with her.

"You know what?" he said, "Never mind."

"Ron."

He shook his head and reached for the oar, pushing them through the water as soon as the paddle was facing the right direction.

"Clearly it's made you uncomfortable."

"No," she said and tried to grab at the oar.

Ron pulled the paddle out of her way. "Stop or you're going to tip us."

"You stop," she said and reached again, "Or you're going to ruin our friendship."

She lunged with her body weight for the paddle and the next thing she knew they were both in the water, floating in their life preservers.

"Great," Ron said, "Just great."

"We need to talk," she said and reached a hand out to pull on his life preserver so they were floating closer together.

"I have nothing to say to you," he said stretching an arm out to steady the now upside down canoe.

"Well I have something to say to you."

He bopped up and down in the water and watched her.

"I'm not upset that you're in love with me." She quickly continued her speech. "I've known that you were for about ten years now."

"You have?"

"Like I said," she laughed a little, "You're not that good at bluffing."

"I'm not."

"Honey," she said moving closer to him, "It doesn't take a genius to see how obviously in love with me you are." She tapped him on his shoulder, ⌠That whole issue with the Yule Ball at Hogwarts pretty much took the wool from anyone▓s eyes on that subject.■

He laughed, "I▓m sure my date will never forgive me."

"You're not that bad to look at," she said, "I▓m sure Padma Patil will get over the fact that the one and only school dance that she attended was ruined because you▓d asked the wrong girl."

Ron▓s face turned pink. ⌠I wasn▓t that bad was I?■

She nodded. "You didn▓t dance."

"It was because I couldn▓t stop trying to figure out how to kill Viktor Krum. That guy--"

Hermione closed her eyes. ⌠We all know how much you hate him.■

⌠Only because I was in love with you,■ he said, ⌠Actually he▓s probably a great guy if I had chosen to notice.■

⌠But you didn▓t,■ she said.

⌠No.■ Ron nodded his head thoughtfully. ⌠I didn▓t.■

Silence fell between them. Only the sound of water lapping up against the overturned canoe could be heard.

⌠So what do we do now?■

"First we get this boat back upright so we can get back in it and get back to the cabin.■ Hermione said in her most professor-like voice. Sometimes Ron still couldn▓t believe that she was a teacher▓s assistant at Hogwart▓s. He▓d known from the beginning that she liked books, but he didn▓t think anyone was crazy enough to stay at Hogwart▓s longer than they had to. ⌠I'm thinking good showers, a bottle of wine and some more talking is in order," she said.

"More talking?"

"Yeah," she said, "I want to hear about what you▓ve been doing these last few months."

"Last few months?" he asked shocked with her comment.

She shook her head at him and clicked her tongue. "Like I didn't notice you've been spending an awful lot of time in Hogsmeade."

"I can▓t help it if my brother▓s new shop there is somewhere I like to spend time," he said with a shy nod then smiled. "I really am bad at bluffing."

"We can work on it," she said, "I've been pretending to like Viktor Krum since the Yule Ball so that I didn▓t get my heart broken."

(c) 1999-2007 Pit Pat Productions 


	2. Chapter 2: Stars & Moon

Prompt 2: Stars & Moon

Written By PBMAXCA

He was in the right place, but at the wrong time. It had happened to him before, many times actually, but this time seemed to be the most volatile situation he'd found himself in. Hermione's staccato voice hammered him with words. "Repeat what you just said."

Despite still not being that comfortable with having a cellphone, he flipped the phone closed without saying goodbye, something he prided himself on never doing, he turned around and let the anger rise in him, another thing he didn't like to do. He hadn't wanted to be there at all that night.

His brothers had convinced him that he needed to be at the dinner. Ron had agreed thinking that Harry would be there and they could team up against the other people at the party. His best friend had deviated from the plans, he'd decided to ditch the party last minute leaving him without any kind of support in the middle of a group of people that he really wasn't comfortable with in the first place.

It was amazing how much better of a bluffer he was becoming. He'd managed to mingle with the other guests at the party without any of them realizing that he was hating every moment of it. Thanks to his illustrious career as Harry Potter▓s sidekick, he had a PhD in mingling. He knew all the tricks on how to pretend to be interested in just how cute everyone's babies were or just how intricate it was to balance a person's taxes. He still didn▓t know how Goblins had gotten invited to the party, but he guessed it might have been an open invitation party considering who else was there. He could talk to anyone from Professor Dumbledore to Dobby the house-elf.

This crowd was a little different and after an hour or so he'd needed a little break. He'd needed a quick cell phone call to his brother George, who had suddenly become closer to him in the last few months to vent out all that was building up inside him. George had even agreed to use a Muggle cellphone to keep in touch with him saying that it would give him yet another device to play pranks with.

Once he'd decided to take the chance and make the call to George, he'd tried hard to avoid Hermione. No matter who she was marrying he'd never meant for her to hear what had just come out of his mouth. The conversation had been a repeat of the one they'd had earlier in the day. He'd complained about the setting of the party and the fact that his friend had ditched him. He told George about most of the people having dinner with him and George reminded him over and over again that Hermione was his friend and he needed to show his support. He'd meant to return to his mingling with a sane outlook even if he hated every bone her fiancИ's body. This of course had only made things worse, causing him to hate most of the fiancИ▓s friends too.

"Tell me what you just said to him on the phone." Hermione squared her shoulders and stared at him looking strong even though he knew her well enough to know that in a moment she'd crumble. Taking a chance he stood his ground. "You heard me."

He watched her swallow twice before she spoke and even then her voice didn't sound right. She seemed to take a breath after each word as if the next was even harder to say. "So... you... hate... him...?"

A breeze whipped up off the lake causing them both to shiver. The chimes on the edge of the house clanged together much the way that they were bouncing off each other. This was definitely a moment that was going to change both of their lives forever. If he wasn't careful this could blow up in both their faces.

⌠Ritchie Coote?■ he said, ⌠Are you serious?■

⌠Obviously, yes,■ she said turning in a circle drawing attention to the rest of the people at the party.

"Ritchie is not good for you." He softened his tone and posture when tears fell down her cheeks.

Hermione shook her head and stepped back when he tried to approach her.

His posture straightened again with the physical rejection she showed him. "Tell me three good things about him--" His chatter didn't leave room for an answer. "Tell me that he loves you above and beyond the moon and the stars--"

She stared at him blankly. Her face, her shoulders and her arms were limp. Only her legs seemed to be strong enough to hold her. Every other part of her looked to be useless.

"Tell me and I'll take it back."

He knew she'd hesitate but he never expected her to shout at him next.

First her shoulders slumped forward then her mouth opened up. "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?"

"DOING WHAT?" he yelled back. "YOU'RE DOING THIS TO YOURSELF."

"Trying to ruin everything!" She calmed a bit, moving from a yell to a whine.

"Ruining it?" His jaw dropped. "I'M RUINING IT?"

He knew that love or lust could blind, but if he was to be blamed for her misery she was past he point of no return. She was delirious.

She put a hand to her forehead as if the whole situation was finally draining all her energy away. "Why are you doing this?"

"I don't know." Sarcasm showed in his voice. "Maybe because I don't want you to end up with an asshole."

As if on cue, at that very moment Ritchie stepped out onto the porch. The moment he was over the threshold the hairs on the back of Ron's neck prickled like an angry dog's would. He was ready for a fight.

Ritchie▓s eyes moved back and forth between them as e put a hand on her arm trying to comfort her. "Hermione, what the hell is going on here?"

"None of your business," Ron said.

"None of your business?" he replied shaking his head with a certain look on his face that let Ron know that he'd been caught in his lie.

"Nope." Ron confirmed that he should stay out of what was going on between the two of them.

"Nice to see that money doesn't buy maturity."

"What are you talking about?"

"I just expected more out of you. I had a gut feeling that you were a prick." Ritchie shook his head. "Glad to know I can lower the bar again on those expectations."

"Are you going to let this asshole talk to me that way?"

She didn't say a word.

Suddenly, all the years that they'd been friends melted away. All the nights that they'd come to each other for comfort, whether it be school, work, or her having her heart broken by a boyfriend, they'd always found each other and been at each other's side when they needed each other.

"What, you can't stand up for yourself?" Ron knew deep down that he shouldn't provoke him, but at this point he was so ready to brawl that he didn't want anyone to stand in the way of that happening.

Ritchie's eyes narrowed at him. "Do you want to take this outside?"

"We are outside dip-shit." Ron pointed up at the sky with a sheepish look on his face.

"Excuse me, let me be more technical." Ritchie scowled, "Do we need to go somewhere that the rest of these people won't see me beat your ass."

"Like I said," He looked at her. "What an asshole."

She turned away from him, hugging her fiancИ. "You're the asshole."

"Don't pin this on me."

When Hermione didn't react Ron sighed and mumbled, "What a bitch."

She turned around quickly, reached her arm out and smacked him.

Ron had never experienced a moment when time stood still. At that moment nothing moved, no one breathed, and it seemed that not even the wind was blowing as it had been earlier.

(c) 1999-2007 Pit Pat Productions 


	3. Chapter 3: Daybreak

Prompt 3: Daybreak

Written By PBMAXCA

The night closed in around her. 

While sunset triggered most people her age to head for the hotspots on the Sunset Strip or out to house parties in Malibu or the Hollywood Hills, that evening Hermione only had one thing on her mind. Home. She needed a good glass of white wine and a moment to contemplate life. It was a rare occurrence that she got that chance, so the idea of having a free evening to do so made her as giddy as she had been the first time her school colleges had taken her to the Muggle adventure land called Disneyland.

She'd bounced on her toes as she unlocked the door. One thing she'd always hated about Los Angeles, well rather any big city was all the locks. She▓d grown up in London and they▓d had locks on their doors, but they▓d been able to get away with not locking up every inch of their home whether she'd been at home or not. Now the only comfort she had was that she had a great security firm and somehow had lucked out living in a house that happened to be next to where the president of a private security company lived. He checked in on her every so often even if it was just a wave from the porch next door.

Inside the house she dropped her bag near her home office, and moved through towards the bedroom, dropping her school uniform of slacks and sleeveless sweater into the dry cleaning pile before she donned a pair of baggy sweat pants and a t-shirt. Maroon and Gold still were her favorite colors despite being years away from having to wear them at Hogwarts. She grabbed the matching sweatshirt, dragging it on the floor behind her as she walked back down to the kitchen to check her messages.

"Hey hun," the first message said, "I know it's your chill night tonight, but call me later if you get bored or lonely. I'm hanging out with Robbie and Ted, but it should be an early night."

She nodded at the message then pressed the message button again. "Hemione," George's voice hadn▓t lost any of the British/Scottish accent he was born with. "Just wanted to check in with you. I think that Ron is going to skip the wedding. Well I don't know if that really is going to happen, but he hasn't mentioned it and I know it's coming up. I don't want you to stress out about it, but I think you should call him and see what's going on."

With a sigh Hermione abandoned the messages, slapped a smile onto her face and moved to where the wine was cooling in the fridge. She waved a hand and the door opened and the bottle flew out, the cork popped and with another wave a glass came out from a cupboard. She knew that she probably shouldn▓t be using magic outside of school grounds, but it had been a long day and she wasn▓t sure she had the energy to do it the Muggle way. She waved for a box of crackers and looked out the door to the back porch. The sky was the most gorgeous shades of orange and pinks and the water mirrored the sky. She should have pulled out the camera. She'd once taped a sunset. She'd given it to Ron for Christmas the year that he'd spent all that time in Romania visiting his brother when one of the dragons had gotten a little out of control and injured his brother.

Glass of wine in hand, she moved back towards the office, looking quickly through her bag for the latest batch of parchments she needed to grade before she moved away from her normal workspace, choosing to spend time on the porch, bringing along a rather long report to read but knowing that it wasn't work that would get done that night. The sun was just hitting the waves, leaving enough heat in the air for her to be able to sit down, put her feet on the railings and enjoy the view. Considering how hard she worked to payoff the house having to pay with Muggle money instead of the wizarding form, she sure hadn't gotten enough use out of the amazing back porch.

It wasn't the most important jobs in the world, she wasn't saving lives or anything to that extreme now that Valdermont had been taken care of, but she was good at what she did. She'd worked as a teacher▓s aid for almost ten years for Hogwart▓s with a short stint at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. She'd then been the first person to volunteer for long hours that came along with setting up an American version of Hogwarts in the Southern California high desert area.

Truthfully it was a wonder that she had any kind of a social life anymore, but somehow she managed everything. For the longest time she'd been jet-setting to wherever Ron had been. She'd somehow worked it into her schedule to meet with clients in whatever city he happened to be in. He▓d been traveling tons with the Magical Law Enforcement Squad. It was amazing how he▓d gone from misfit to what consistituted as a police officer, but crazier things had happened over the years. Mostly it was trips to New York, Miami and Orlando, a few the Nashville, all big cities where magic could be done and not noticed by most Muggles. She tended to work long days, party long nights, and do her "homework" on redeye flights.

And then there was Ritchie. Despite all the various things that Ron said about the situation, Ritchie was the one person in her life that encouraged her to have chill out nights like the one she was having that night. She'd met him by chance, something that everyone always had told her would happen, that she'd find him when she wasn't looking for him.

She'd been up at the reception desk on a wet Tuesday afternoon and had run into him, literally. He was a reporter from the Daily Prophet doing a report on the new school and when she▓d dropped her umbrella they▓d both reached for it and hit heads. The rest had been history.

(c) 1999-2007 Pit Pat Productions Email Me 


	4. Chapter 4: Hike Up Your Skirts

Prompt 4: Hike Up Your Skirt

Written By PBMAXCA

She lifted the hem of her long dress and started across the street with one thing on her mind. In every day life, it wasn't normal to have any woman marching across the street in a wedding dress, it was even more out of the ordinary for her. She tried to be one of the more rational people she knew, but in her mixed up mind, the day, the moment, called for the dramatic act.

She'd seen this move done in the movies a couple of times, the irrational bride on some rant running after the caterer or an unruly groom. It was rare for a bride to be running after her ex-best friend because he was threatening to skip her ceremony. She hadn't really thought ahead when she'd run from her fitting, thank god it wasn't the wedding, to some place that a wedding dress really shouldn't be worn.

"What the--" She thought she'd heard his voice come out from the crowd on the porch but there were probably thirty people sitting there so it was unlikely that it was him. Either way, he met her at the walkway from the sidewalk. This move left the valet parking guy, who was in charge of opening and closing the picket fence gate, staring at the two of them.

"It's ok," Ron said with a strangely calm voice. "She's with me."

The guy opened the gate and Ron escorted her into The Ivy, through a hallway and out to the courtyard that had fewer people in it. They quickly took seats at the nearest table and funnily enough were given menus and glasses of water.

Ron stared at her, no doubt waiting for an explanation. When she didn't speak, he picked up his glass of water, as if him moving his hand might somehow get her moving.

When she still didn't speak, he finally cleared his throat, "Are--"

The word definitely got her going.

Her hands moved and touched her glass of water, then moved away, then moved back again. "You aren't coming to my wedding?"

Ron leaned back in his chair and let his breath out in a snicker. He clearly had issues with what she'd just said. "That was the plan since clearly you, Ritchie, and I can't be in the same room."

"It's my wedding." She pouted. She knew that it was crazy to be mad at him but want him at the ceremony. She didn't know why she felt the urge to have him there, because she knew it would probably end in a fist fight this time, but not having him there somehow seemed worse. People often spoke of having phantom pains when a limb was lost and to her it was as if Ron was her missing right arm. Not having him there would leave her with that same achy tingling feeling that had consumed her when she'd gotten Ron's RSVP that afternoon.

"Hermione, it's your day. It's you and Ritchie becoming man and wife and as much as I hate it, I'm not going to be there on the off chance that Ritchie and I can't get along again." He took another sip of water. "Neither of you need that kind of drama."

She'd pictured her wedding a million times over since she was a little girl and Ron had always been a part of the picture. Of course back then he'd been there with a girl date, but a guy as a date didn't really matter. She just knew that if he didn't attend the ceremony it was almost worse than her parents not approving of her chosen love. "You're my best friend."

"Last time checked--" he leaned towards her and whispered it. Even if they thought they were more alone than they would have been out front, everyone in the place was paying attention to them, "--you and I weren't speaking."

She sighed heavily and pressed a hand to her face, suddenly feeling the heat of the day on her, or maybe it was the heat of the moment on her. "Please don't be stuck on that. You and I both screwed that night up."

"I'm not going to stand by and celebrate you marrying him." His head shook side to side. "Actually I probably shouldn't even be having this conversation. I wouldn't want Ritchie to get mad about me hanging out with you. I want the best for you and believe me--he is not it."

"Why do you hate him?" She took deep breaths and tried to calm herself, but it wasn't working that well. "You asked me three things about him. So tell me three things about him that you hate so much that you are determined to ruin my life."

Ron unexpectedly growled out the words, "Because he doesn't love you the way that you deserve to be loved."

He smiled a little. "I wish sometimes that I wasn't always traveling just so you'd have a guy around who loves you the way I know I love you."

There was a long pause in the conversation. Ritchie had been right in a way. Ron did have feelings for her. It had been years since he▓d told her about them. Maybe she▓d been foolish enough to forget them, but it was clear that he wasn▓t doing this in anger. He was simply jealous of her being with Ritchie. In the silence, the waitress returned, only to fill Ron's water glass before she disappeared again.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" He reached a hand out and squeezed her hand.

She withdrew her hand from his and put it in her lap and suddenly she realized that everyone was watching her. It made her feel completely uncomfortable in her own skin.

"Look at me Hermione." He was firm in his tone, commanding her attention. "I love you, but I can't let you settle--"

Her eyes teared up. "Isn't it enough that I love him beyond the moon and the stars?"

"Do you really want to take that chance?"

Squaring her shoulders she pushed her chair back and got to her feet. "It's the closest thing I've got--" Her eyes focused on him and only one thing came to mind. The man she truly loved was sitting right in front of her and wasn't the one she'd be meeting at the end of the aisle. It was a cruel joke that this was the way things were working out. She'd always thought that she could have her cake and eat it too, but now reality was staring her in the face and there was no happy ending at the end of their episode,"--and if you can't see that then--well then don't show up at the ceremony."

(c) 1999-2007 Pit Pat Productions 


	5. Chapter 5: Something Simple

Prompt 5: Something Simple

Written By PBMAXCA

There was something about watching a Quidditch match.

Something simple.

Something pure.

Something absolutely normal.

It was one of the added perks of owning a home. Granted he didn't own the biggest place in the world; it had enough room to put up a TV and install a fireplace so he could visit home at his convienence. He'd been able to watch games during his travel over the last few years, but owning a house with a big screen made the whole experience a little more relaxed than what most people in London were used to.

Sitting just inside the sliding glass door, he sipped coffee every other Saturday morning as the younger, now hard to follow teams did battle.

The sound of the French doors that separated the family room from the kitchen being opened brought him back to reality. Ron looked over his shoulder at his girlfriend. While it shocked him to see her dressed in formal clothes this early in the morning on a Saturday, he tried to ignore it.

With a smile, she motioned towards the television. "They▓re good this year."

A frown formed on her face. She wasn't sure if he was upset about the comment, clearly something to distract her from the conversation she was going to have with him, but he soon found out. "Why aren't you getting ready?"

Ron stared at the television as the teams lined up after a point was scored. The commentators were going wild with stats and comments about the game. He knew he should look at his girlfriend. It was rude to not look at her when they were having a discussion, but he knew that one look from his girl could change his mind about the decision he'd already told himself that he was going to make. "I'm not going."

"Babe," Gabrielle said with a soft voice taking the seat next to him.

It was amazing how they▓d ended up together. They▓d spent some time together over the last few years, since her sister was married to Bill and her sister had always seemed to include the two of them in anything that the family did. He▓d tried to avoid her for the first few times they▓d been set up, but once they▓d realized they both felt a little uncomfortable about being set up on dates, they tended to enjoy themselves a little more.

Ron watched her look at the television for a moment before he turned to look at her. "Hermione is going to be devastated if you don't go."

He sighed and leaned back in his chair, picking up his mug of coffee.

Concentrating only on his cup, he turned it round and round watching the coffee and the cream spin. It was such a simple thing to watch, but it showed so simply what he was going through. He'd been spinning and spinning around and around for days and wasn't sure when it was going to stop. "She's going to be devastated if I do go."

Gabrielle moved a hand out and touched his arm, taking his focus away from the cup. "She's your best friend honey, I know that means something to you. You may be angry, but friendship runs deep with you."

"So deep," Ron said, "You aren't going to start yoga and chanting and burning candles?"

Gabrielle's eyebrows rose in shock. "Ronald."

Frustration made his blood pressure rise, causing Ron to lash out a little more than he would have like. "I don't care." Ron moved his hands away. He felt like getting up and walking away, but where was he going to go? "I don't care," he whispered again.

"You're going." Ron watched Gabrielle▓s very petite and womanly jaw square mimicking his tougher tone to his voice.

Ron squared his shoulders, set down his cup and folded his arms across his chest. It was a juvenile move to make, but he had to do something. "No."

Gabrielle sighed. "You're going to regret this."

"No I won't." He shook his head. He could only imagine what would happen at the ceremony. He wasn't about to be the one to stand up and protest when the preacher asked the whole part about speak now or forever hold your piece. "I told her what I thought. If she wants to go off and ruin her life-"

Gabrielle's mouth cracked into a quick smile then flatted into almost a scowl. "She's getting married not murdering someone."

He threw his hands up and let his temper fly. "She's murdering her life."

He got up, taking his coffee cup into the master bedroom. He started to close the sliding glass door, but Gabrielle caught the edge of the door as he moved inside.

"You have lost your mind." Gabrielle was the only person in the world, other than Hermione who would be able to get away with speaking to him that way. They were both bluntly honest with him, probably one of the reasons that he'd found so much in common with Gabrielle. He was the French version of Hermione. "You need to support her. She's backed you on every move you've ever made."

The kitchen was completely modern and despite it being somewhat of a bachelor pad, since Ron and Gabrielle weren't living with each other just yet, it was pristine. Ron moved around the far side of the island in the kitchen and dumped his coffee in the sink and rinsed the cup.

Ron frowned. He wasn't about to pout. He wasn't a pouter, or at least he tried not to be that way. "How can I go there when everyone knows I don't approve?"

"Is that what this is all about?"

Ron nodded.

Gabrielle came around behind him and hugged him before she twisted him around and made Ron face away from the sink. Ron knew this was a tactic to get him to look her in the eyes. He kept his eyes on the floor not wanting to show Gabrielle too much of his vulnerable side that morning.

"I just don't feel like partying," Ron said.

"Are you completely ill?" Gabrielle moved a hand to his forehead.

It sounded crazy, but Ron was never one to pass up a good party. He normally was the life of the party, the one that kept that partying going into the wee hours of the morning and sometimes until the next evening.

"You go." Gabrielle put a hand under his chin and lifted his gaze to her own face. She smiled devilishly, "You bring a cute date to distract them--"

Ron laughed.

Gabrielle smiled and pointed a finger at him as if she was teaching him a lesson. "And you choose every word that comes out of your mouth VERY carefully."

Ron laughed more.

"See. You're in the mood to party."

She smiled and leaned forward.

"We'll go and have drinks and you'll dance with me."

(c) 1999-2007 Pit Pat Productions 


	6. Chapter 6: Attention

Prompt 6: Attention

Written by PBMAXCA

He watched her walk across the crowded bar, a little surprised when she turned her attention to him. She'd been socializing with everyone else for the longest time, then she disappeared for a while, he figured to the restroom. It was then that she started towards him. He expected her to pay attention to the hundred or so people in the bar. They were her guests, a lot of them family. He expected to be low on her list of priorities, but she seemed to beeline for him. He hadn't been purposely avoiding her that night. Things just seemed to work out in his favor. The tide of people moved him farther and farther away from her as if the forces of nature were keeping them apart.

Despite his whole back and forth drama with Gabrielle back at the house earlier, he really hadn't meant to stay away so long. He'd planned to end their feud sooner, but as time went by it had gotten harder and harder to figure out what to say first. He'd dialed her phone so many times, but had hung up before she picked up. Starting that conversation was harder than anything else he'd ever had to do. He was very glad that Gabrielle had taken it upon herself to bury the proverbial hatchet and get them back in the same place at the same time.

The ceremony had been beautiful even though he didn't approve of the groom. Her dress had turned out to be really great. He'd seen a picture of it a long time ago, it was a remake of something she'd seen in a magazine when she had been teaching that year at Beauxbatons Academy and although it was a more traditional cut, it looked great on her.

When she finally reached him no words were needed. He wasn't sure if he'd known what to say if he could have gotten words out of his mouth before she flung her arms around him and hugged him tight. He didn't know if his mind was just over exaggerating the moment, but it seemed as if it was a desperate hug, a kind of hug that was saving her from a fate worse than death.

"Thank God you came."

The moment the words left her mouth his back almost did a jack-knife as all the muscles in his neck stiffened. Physically his body was pulling away from her before he could stop himself from doing it. If she had said anything else it would have been ok. Anything she could think of would have been better than bringing up the sore subject that stood between them. He'd promised himself that he was going to act like nothing happened between them, not only to keep the drama at bay during the ceremony and reception, but also because he knew that he needed to work past the block between them.

Hearing those words brought it all rushing back. He could feel the temperature of the air rise as he was momentarily drawn back in time to the argument they'd had all those months ago. He felt instantly as if he wanted to cry. He didn't want that conversation to be repeated. He'd finally gotten passed it and definitely didn't want to u-turn back to that place in his life.

He'd been harsh with her that night, something he was a little embarrassed about, but he couldn't help his strong feelings. He'd been concerned and was still concerned for her well being. He knew that Ritchie wouldn't harm her physically. He wasn't that type of goon. His was a mental kind of torture that had much more scarring than any physical injury.

"You ok?" she asked pulling back from him. She smoothed a hand down the small wrinkles in the front of her dress and watched him with nervous eyes.

Ok was the farthest from what he was. Even though his eyes hadn't left her face, he knew exactly where Ritchie had been the entire night. At the moment he was standing with his mother across the room, with his back to them. Before he'd been ten people down the bar from them and before that he'd been next to the DJ requesting a song.

Ron forced a smile and nodded, moving his eyes towards Gabrielle hoping to catch his eye and be rescued. Gabrielle saw him, even went as far as to raise a glass to him signaling that he was having a good time, but made no move to be his knight in shinning armor or princess on a white horse as the case may be.

"Ron?"

He wished that the air conditioner would turn on higher. He'd always hated that about bars. In the winter in Europe it was great, but this was a summer wedding and even though all the doors were pushed wide open to allow everyone the air, it seemed as if only the outside rim of people were feeling any of the breeze. "Sorry. Just a little overwhelmed. I haven't seen most of these people in--your cousin Zach decided to fill me in on the past two years."

She laughed and reached a hand out to touch his arm. He tried not to cringe at her touch, but he must have let onto his feelings. Her head tipped to the side as she tried to figure him out. "What's wrong?"

It wasn't going to be that easy. He wasn't about to spill his guts because he knew himself well enough to know things would end as ugly as they'd ended the night of the engagement party. He didn't want that. Not only for her, but for her parents sake he knew that he needed to get away from the conversation that she seemed to be pushing on him.

"Nothing." He blinked a few times trying not make eye contact. "I should go."

She sighed. "Ron."

"Really it's getting late." He looked over at the front window of the bar. He moved to kiss her cheek then backed away and moved towards Gabrielle.

"So that's how it's going to be?" She spoke to his back probably knowing that he wouldn't walk away without her understanding why he was going.

It wasn't the best way to keep the conversation going, but it worked. He turned around and faced her.

Ron took a deep breath, looked around at the crowd then stepped back towards her. He hugged her and put his lips near her ear. "You made your decision--" He moved to look in her eyes. "--and I need to leave." He nodded to make sure she understood. "Call me when you get back from the honeymoon."

(c) 1999-2007 Pit Pat Productions Email Me 


	7. Chapter 7: Timing

Prompt 7: Timing

Written By PBMAXCA

"I'm not late! The clock's wrong."

Hermione's day was not ending well. It hadn't started off well that day so she wasn't really surprised that it was ending up this way either.

She'd been in New York overnight for meetings that had run later than scheduled.

Strike one on her way to hitting a home run on this trip. Due to her meetings running late, she'd gotten caught in traffic when there had been a pile up on the freeway heading towards Newark Airport.

Strike two.

Next it was the "random" stop in Security for an extra check, as if she really looked like a terrorist in her business suit and high heels.

Ball one. A pitch slightly to the inside with a little curve.

When she finally had gotten through to where her gate was, she'd realized that she had enough time to stop and use the ladies room. That had turned out to be a disaster too. She'd used a broken sink and had gotten water sprayed all over her. Luckily she'd packed only an overnight bag so she'd pulled out a pair of jeans and had changed immediately.

Strike three.

It wasn't until she exited the restroom that she realized her plane had already pushed away from the gate.

You're out.

"I'm not late! The clock's wrong!" she repeated then realized moments later that the old fashioned wind up watch on her wrist had been wrong and the clock on the wall, the clock that the airline seemed to be following was right.

"Do I need to call security?" the woman at the counter quickly said.

Hermione nodded that it wouldn't be necessary then with a short huff and a sigh she moved towards a seat, trying to gain her composure before she tried to approach the desk again.

Normally she wouldn't worry too much about getting home to Los Angeles, in fact, she liked her visits to New York, but the next day she'd planned to spend the weekend with friends at Big Bear. It was supposed to be a real getaway and now it looked as if she'd be taking a later flight, getting her into Los Angeles later which meant that trying to leave that night was going to be hard due to traffic. They'd rented a cabin for the weekend and were supposed to spend a good forty eight hours together since both their schedules had been so hectic. Ritchie would be flying in from an assignment Miami and her from New York. The car had already been packed and was waiting for them at the airport.

Fifteen minutes after she'd been told she had no flight, she approached the counter again and asked to be rebooked. The only flight with space available was the redeye flight so reluctantly she took that flight and moved away from the counter again, this time in search of a little bit to eat and a place to park herself until the flight left a few hours later.

She found an open seat at a bistro table, ordered a sandwich and a coffee and pulled out her laptop knowing that she'd be able to get at least a little work done before her flight.

The parchment she landed on was a contract that they were working up with a librarian in the New York City Library who was going to float her a few Muggle books that students who would be studying Muggle Relations would use. She'd planned to review it on the plane, but being stuck gave her the perfect opportunity to do it sooner than later. Reading legal jargin wasn't the best way to spend most of a wasted Friday afternoon, but once she got into the deal points she found herself in a whole other world.

It wasn't until she'd heard a laugh near her that she turned her eyes from the screen in front of her. She didn't really know why that certain laugh caught her attention, but she was completely amazed when her eyes focused on the woman across the walkway, and even more amazed at the man that she was with.

Frozen with fear, pain, and those ever-present words of Ron's in her mind about how Ritchie needed to love her beyond the moon and the stars, she closed her laptop, tucked her chin to her chest and turned her back on her husband and the woman he was so clearly interested in. This wasn't a case of misinterpretation or mistaken identity. It was him, he was flirting, and with one quick phone call it would all be over.

The number of her office appeared on the screen of her cell phone.

She dialed the number and waited for the operator. Without missing a beat she told the receptionist, "Please transfer me to Jack Carrington's office."

The receptionist did as she was told and a moment later Hermione was on the phone with Jack's assistant. "Laura. I need to ask a huge favor. I need Jack to draft up some divorce papers for me."

"Divorce?" Laura seemed clearly shocked at the request.

"Yes," she said, "I'll tell you all the gritty details later if you promise me to have him write up the paperwork as soon as possible and have them left in my office as soon as he's done with them."

"I don't need to know what's going on," Laura said sympathically. 

"Is it--?"

Hermione took a deep breath as the shock of what had just happened was starting to fade away and the panic stage of her grief was sinking in. "It's Ritchie and I."

"I'm so sorry Hermione."

"Thanks Laura," she said wishing that she was still in touch with Ron. This would have been a perfect opportunity to call him. He could schedule her a portkey home if he wanted to, hell she could go and visit her parents in London if she wanted to. 

Instead she took a deep breath and continued her conversation with Laura, "Please don't announce this around to anyone just yet. I'll let everyone know on Monday. Timing is important on this one though Laura so please make sure that it gets done."

No other words were needed.

(c) 1999-2007 Pit Pat Productions 


	8. Chapter 8: One Thing

Prompt 8: One Thing

Written by PBMAXCA

She eased around the house, took a steadying breath, then peaked in the window.

She found them making dinner. Ron was standing at the stove stirring something in a pot and Gabrielle was sitting at the table fiddling with an orange cloth napkin that matched the orange and brown and light colored stripped place mat. When she moved towards Ron at the stove and leaned to kiss his cheek she took a deep breath and bit back tears. They were always so cute. That night they were both dressed in jeans and t-shirts. 

Relaxation was clearly the theme of the night. This was the way things were supposed to be.

Relaxed, easy, normal. It all looked so domestic.

The sliding glass door was open with the screen door shut. She watched Gabrielle move from next to the stove and turn on some music. A dreamy piano soundtrack came out of the stereo and out to meet her on the porch. 

She was going to ruin their evening. She hated that.

"That's great," she heard Ron's voice as he motioned towards the stereo. He smiled widely at Gabrielle then turned back to the pot stirring it with one hand while reaching for a wine glass with the other.

There was a long tension filled pause then Gabrielle moved towards him, bringing her wine glass with him. She set it on the table then rested a hand on his lower back, which made Ron turn and look at her. Hermione felt a stab of pain in her side and a tingle on her back just at the location where her hand was on Ron's back.

Her husband used to touch her like that. He used to pull her to him and hug her and kiss her. That hadn't happened in a long time.

"You're avoiding the subject."

Her head tipped to the side as she watched the couple move around.

It was a strange thing to be on the outside looking in like this. It was as if she was watching a movie. She was a voyeur and she wasn't sure if she liked being one even if she knew the conversation would give her a lot of insight into the atmosphere she'd be entering into if she finally stepped out of the shadows and moved towards the door to talk to them.

"The subject." He said it as if to show Gabrielle that she was being too technical in the conversation. He tended to use a mocking tone sometimes to get that point across.

"You know what I'm talking about."

"The subject?" Ron was playing dumb. It was so obvious that he was trying to avoid the subject. She didn't yet know what it was, but it seemed to be of utter importance to both of them. Clearly more important to Gabrielle than to Ron.

"She hasn't called you in three weeks."

Ron put down the spoon he was stirring the pot with and moved away from Gabrielle towards the refrigerator. He opened it and turned his attention to a block of cheese which he soon pulled out. "She'll call when she wants to call."

Gabrielle moved to another cabinet and pulled down some crackers before she turned and leaned against the counter, next to the stove.

The crackling of the package seemed to make him smile as she fumbled with opening it up. "You know her well enough to know that she's not calling because something is wrong."

She shivered hearing her say what she had been thinking for the last few weeks. It used to be that Ron would call her all the time and check on her. Even if the call was disguised in the form of an inquiry about if she'd watched a certain Quidditch Match that he knew she always watched anyway.

Ron moved across the kitchen and produced a cutting board and a knife and soon was slicing cheese and piling it next to the bigger piece he was cutting. "She's a big girl."

Gabrielle moved next to him, bringing along with her a plate and the crackers. She started to arrange them on a plate. "Ron."

"She doesn't want my help," he said slapping at Gabrielle's hand as she moved to grab a piece of cheese. "Not yet."

"Sorry," he said and popped the cheese that she'd stolen into his mouth.

"So are you going to call her?"

Another long pause.

"She made that clear at the party--"

"You're so stuck on that party." Gabrielle took her glass in her hand and sipped it as if she needed the wine to calm her temper. She always loved the way she was such a calming influence on Ron. She'd wished that she'd been there the night at the party. If she had, she wondered if she'd be in this position now. She would have been able to make that call and get his advice and the friendship that she knew she really needed right then. "I thought we'd all gotten over that."

"I'm not stuck on anything." Ron took the moment to grab his wine glass again. "She has made it clear that I have no say in what happens in her life." He held his glass up and looked to be asking Gabrielle to make a toast.

It took her more than the normal amount of swallows before she moved out of the shadows so they could see her. "I don't care about the party."

She didn't expect to scare them so badly but soon Ron was sliding the door open and Gabrielle was cleaning up the shattered glass from Ron's broken wine glass before she even opened her mouth to speak.

Ron immediately hugged her to him. "What's with all the tears?"

She gulped a few times and she heard a little bit of a snicker from him. "Tough isn't it?"

"What?" she asked.

"Trying to figure out the right words."

She nodded.

"Does it help that I'm sorry about the party?"

She nodded.

She swallowed a few more times then licked her lips and staring at the wet mark on his shirt from her tears she finally got up enough courage to speak. "He doesn't love me above and beyond the moon and the stars--" She burst into sobs and fell against him. She didn't like to show this kind of vulnerability. She was still recovering from the incident at the party.

Ron didn't say anything. He knew how to play this game. He knew that he didn't need to say anything and that with time things would work themselves out. He knew when to speak and when to just let things flow. She guessed that he had learned something over the years about acting.

"Please just promise me one thing."

Ron moved back and wiped off her cheeks. "Anything sweetie."

"Please don't tell me that you told me so."

"Never."

(c) 1999-2007 Pit Pat Productions 


	9. Chapter 9: Journey

Prompt 9: Journey

Written By PBMAXCA

He cut some limbs out of the way.

"Why do you insist on taking me on these nature hikes?" She didn't mind being in the outdoors. She was continually amazed how a guy who had spent most of his life on the asphalt and concrete streets of the world's busiest cities chose to spend his free time in a place in the wilderness that didn't have a path for them to walk on.

"Quit yer bitchin'," he said with a laugh in his voice. He pushed more limbs out of their way, "You'll love this place. I promise."

Her feet crunched along behind him through the fallen leaves on the sandy ground. They'd been in Hawaii for almost a week and she'd thought they'd be doing the regular every day island adventures, but this one seemed to be a little off the beaten path, literally. "I'm not going to lose my cell phone again am I?"

He looked back at her over his shoulder and laughed, "No. I promise you won't lose your cell phone."

"Good." She adjusted the lightweight backpack on her shoulders and reached a hand out to touch his back. "Last time it took me months to reenter all those numbers."

"You should really think about downsizing."

He looked back at her again with a twinkle in his eye. She wasn't sure where it was coming from, but this was the most relaxed she'd seen him in weeks. She knew that he'd been having a lot better luck with work lately, but she could tell that there was something different that was making him act this way.

She could hear in the distance the sound of waves on the beach.

Everywhere in Hawaii she seemed to be able to smell the ocean, but it was only on certain parts of Oahu that she could smell the ocean, like she could right then.

Her thoughts went back to the conversation. "This coming from a guy who has, what is it now, ten cars and four houses?"

He turned back again. "You forgot the two boats, jet ski, and motorcycle-" He laughed. "-except that's my woman's so I guess it doesn't count."

She stopped walking and watched him walk a few feet ahead of her.

"It's good to hear you laugh again."

"It's good to laugh again." He kept walking as if it wasn't a big deal.

"Ron."

He looked over his should again. "Yeah?"

He stopped and look at her. "What's wrong?" He looked her up and down. "You didn't twist and ankle or something, did you?"

It took her a moment to get the nerve up but she finally spoke up.

"You aren't sick or something are you?"

"Sick?" he asked sounding a little confused by her question.

"Well--" She avoided his eyes. "Last time you and I were out in a place like this you told me that you were in love with me and we both ended up in the water and since that is all out of the way I'm wondering why you're taking me to a deserted piece of--what the hell is this place again?"

"It's a wildlife reserve," he said, "And I'm not sick." He turned back around and started hiking again.

"Then what?" she asked cautiously.

"Then what?" He took a deep breath. "What?"

"Nothing." He said.

"There is something going on."

"Nothing big," he said.

"Ron stop hiking and get your butt back here--"

He motioned towards the trees in front of him. "Only a little bit farther then I'll tell you."

"Are you sure it's nothing bad?" she asked.

He nodded. "Trust me."

It wasn't another hundred yards until they were finally walking in sand and out from under the jungle overgrowth.

"Wow."

Ron kept his eyes on the water. "It's great, isn't it?"

"I don't think great is the right word," She said as she watched the white foam from the waves lapping up on the beach. The sun was starting to go down, coloring the water an orange and black color.

"Are we going to be ok out here in the dark?"

"Yeah," he said.

"Are you going to tell me?" she asked.

"I'm getting married."

"MARRIED!" She screamed in excitement as if she was celebrating one of her girlfriend's wedding announcement. Her yell sent a few birds flying, causing another smaller screech to come out of her.

"Wait," she said, "Married?" She couldn▓t hide the fact that the whole thing made her sick to her stomach. She wanted to be with Ron, she wished they could be together, but she knew it would never work. Whatever romantic feelings they▓d felt for each other over the years had now turned into such a deep friendship that it didn▓t seem right to mess it up with romance.

⌠Yes.■

Ron looked down at his feet. "Not a church wedding anyway."

She nodded. "What'd your parents say?"

"Everyone is excited." He paused for a long time and looked up into the sky as if he was gathering his thoughts.

"It's kind of strange that I▓m marrying my sister-in-law,■ he said, ⌠Is that strange?■

⌠Not at all,■ she said, ⌠Your families are very close now.■

"And George & Fred?"

"They're ok with it," Ron said, "Not cheerleaders, since they still want me to marry you, but at least they aren▓t throwing rocks."

"Throwing rocks!"

"You know what I mean. It's like the rest of my family. They love me, but don't really throw a party when it comes to me being married to anyone but you. They know that the Gabrielle makes me happy and that's all they could ask for."

"So are you getting a wedding planner and stuff?"

He nodded. "Already got one."

"So when's the wedding?" she asked.

His head tipped downward and then he looked up at her with one eye open and one eye closed due to the bright sun. "Now."

She gulped down a breath of air. "Now?"

He pointed up the beach to a crowd of people.

She didn't move for the longest time, but soon she saw Gabrielle come out of the crowd and wave a hand over his head, holding up a beer.

"How did they get up there?"

Ron cringed a little as he turned her shoulders and pushed her towards the group. "Portkey?"

"Portkey!" she shouted.

She could hear the crowd laughing at her outburst.

He shrugged and tried to smile. "I had to have one last hike with you before I tied the knot."

"As much as I love you for your dramatics, the next time you make me go on some stupid hike--"

"I love you too," he said and pulled her into a hug.

"You're really getting married right now?"

He nodded, "That is if you'll be my grooms maid."

"Grooms maid?" she said with a laugh.

He nodded.

"I'll be your grooms maid if you promise that we don't have to hike back to the car."

He turned and started to walk back towards the woods. "It was a nice walk though."

She instantly screamed. "Ron Weasley!"

He put his hands up in surrender. "Deal."

"So is your dad going to say something old and wise?"

"Yeah," he said, "Something about it all being about the journey."

She held her hands up. "No more about hiking and journeys."

He put an arm around her and walked with her towards the crowd.

"Deal. Definitely a deal."

When he put his hand behind his back she leaned and yelled at him, swatting at his shoulders. "No crossing your fingers on this one."

(c) 1999-2007 Pit Pat Productions 


	10. Chapter 10: Countdown

Prompt 10: Countdown

Written By PBMAXCA

She counted to ten.

"Jesus," she breathed out as she kept counting.

In her excitement over the big day, she'd gotten to the house before Ron and Gabrielle had left for the court appointment. It had been great to be able to wish them luck and to pack up the little backpack for the baby, but as she'd been warned over and over again by everyone who had gathered with her, court appointments could take a long time.

The outcome would be worth it though. They'd just gotten back from Romania the week before, so it wasn't a shock that they would be parents, but after today her name would be changed officially in England to have both Ron and Gabrielle's last names as well as claiming her a British citizen. She would be a part of the both of them.

It had taken a lot for them to become elligible to adopt in the first place. Romanian authorities were old fashioned and the idea of granting an adoption to a couple not from Romania would normally have taken a full vote in their version of supreme court for it to go through.

The final adoption they figured out while on this last trip to get the baby was only granted due to the fact that Ron had poured millions of dollars into the Romanian wizarding program with hours of help from Hermione herself, forming a wizarding school in the country, it was almost as if they were giving him a child instead of the credit for the program.

It had been two hours now and up until then she'd managed to pace the house, nibble on finger foods that Ron▓s mother had been prepping when she'd gotten there that morning and finally help put up decorations. When she finally peaked out the window to see what was going on outside the house moving the heavier drapes out of the way she found a half dozen owls perched on the houses around them. They all were carrying packages and mail, but they didn▓t seem to be too eagar to deliver them.

⌠Maybe they▓re waiting for the baby to get home.■ 

She watched three owls milling around and looking at the corner of the house. The others were perched farther back or on the other side of the street, with only a long view of the front yard and door.

Finally she moved away from the window and went towards the kitchen. ⌠I don▓t understand why this can▓t go faster.■

"Hermione. You're so bad." A laugh came from behind her. "I think you▓re right about them waiting for the baby to get here."

Hermione watched Ron▓s mother again fiddling with the Welcome Home sign.

⌠I always thought Ron was joking around when he told me that you had no patience." She made a face as she came down off the chair she was standing on to move across the room and pick up a carrot to munch on.

She turned her head to the side and looked at the sign that was strung up across the dining room entrance. "Is that the same sign from last week?"

Stacey nodded. "Is it cheap that I'm recycling it like that?"

"No," Hermione said quickly. Even though Ron was loaded since his career had been going so well, not everyone in his life was. 

"I'm sure they'll be surprised when they get home to see it."

Ron and Gabrielle hadn't really planned any kind of a party for the whole name changing process. The entire family hadn▓t even shown up. Fred & George had been busy working on getting things set for the Christmas season, Bill had been away on business, and Ron▓s father had only shown up that morning after he▓d gotten deeply engrossed in Reality Television, curious at why Muggles might sit and watch eachother▓s lives in such a strange way.

They'd all had a little get together earlier in the week when they'd gotten back from their two week stay in Romania and their front door seemed to have welcomed a million visitors since, but this one was special. This was a family thing and Hermione had been honored to be invited to be a part of that.

For a long time she'd thought that her chances of being a part of Ron's life had been ruined. She wasn't totally at fault for all the drama that had passed between them, but she'd learned in the last few months just how strong Ron's and Gabrielle's love really was. During the divorce she stayed with them and when it was time to get her own place Gabrielle helped her negotiate a great deal on a house that was just up the PCH from where Ron's beach house was. All in all, the drama had brought them closer.

A knock at the door sounded and Hermione went towards the door. Before she could open it herself, Harry Potter stepped through the door with an older looking man.

⌠Harry?■ she said not expecting to see him in the doorway.

The two of them hugged hard, having not seen each other in a few years now.

⌠Sirius Black?■ she said when she realized that he wasn▓t alone.

⌠I don▓t deny it,■ he said very quietly.

⌠It▓s so good to see you both,■ she said with a big smile.

⌠We didn▓t miss anything, did we?■ Harry asked.

⌠Not at all.■

Suddenly she heard sqwaking outside and turned to find the SUV pulling into the driveway. The gate closed behind them, but as it closed the owls who had been waiting pushed themselves off their perches. The noise got louder as soon as Ron was out of the car door. He held the baby on his hip and pressed her cheek against his chest so she wouldn't get scared. Gabrielle brought the baby bag with her, ignoring the nosie.

Letters and packages began to stream through the fireplace and the mailslot. They seemed to find their own way to the pile of presents that were already in the front room.

"How'd it go?" she asked as soon as the door was opened.

"Perfect." Gabrielle said with a smile, coming through the door first. She dropped the baby bag down on the floor inside the door and immediately moved to hug Harry, say hello to Sirius and Ron▓s mother.

As he came through the door Ron held the baby out to her and spoke in a cartoon voice. "Hi Aunt Hermione. My name is Sarina Weasley and I love you past the moon and the stars."

"You are too much Mr. Weasley." She suddenly felt tears in her eyes. She took the baby into her arms and hugged her. "Your daddy is soo silly."

(c) 1999-2007 Pit Pat Productions 


End file.
